Women lawmakers demand resignation of minister who calls women 'birth-giving machines'

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Women lawmakers demand resignation of minister who calls women 'birth-giving machines'

Women Dietmembers of the Japanese Communist, Democratic, and Social Democratic parties on January 29 met Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare Yanagisawa Hakuo in the Diet, and demanded that he resign as minister for making sexist remarks, calling women "birth-giving machines."

The women lawmakers criticized him for violating women's human rights, and pointed out that the situation in which women find difficulties in raising children largely contributes to the falling birthrate.

JCP House of Councilors member Yoshikawa Haruko at a press conference later in the day said, "He is not qualified to be a minister in charge of dealing with the low birthrate."

From the three opposition parties, 28 women Dietmembers expressed their support to the demand. They will pursue Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's responsibility for appointing Yanagisawa as minister.

Commenting on Yanagisawa's remarks, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi on the previous day said, "His remark is absolutely inexcusable. He is not qualified to be the health and welfare minister."

In order to deal with the declining birthrate, Ichida stressed the need to create an environment in which people can raise children free of anxiety and to eradicate the "working poor" who are unable to raise children.

Yanagisawa gave a speech on January 27 at a meeting in Matsue City, in which he said, "The number of women is fixed. The number of birth-giving machines or devices is fixed. All we can do is to ask each of them to do their best."
- Akahata, January 29 & 30, 2007